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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. firm — decided
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. spell — magic
  12. mug — a face
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spell — letters
  15. scale — in music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. firm — a company
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mug — a cup
  22. scale — size or range
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com